


Curtain Call

by VoidDragonQueen



Series: Fusion!AU [3]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Angst, Blood, Cannibalism, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possession, Torture, au- everyone is their personas, its a bit graphic tho soo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-02 05:31:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16299023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidDragonQueen/pseuds/VoidDragonQueen
Summary: After the Phantom Thieves's second appearance and leaving, Loki realizes his time is running out. He is growing desperate, trying to find more ways to delay the inevitable. Arsene and the rest are about to be thrown back into a war they thought had long since been won twenty-five years ago.*Sequel to Reflections





	1. Last Request

**Author's Note:**

> Beep beep here comes the angst.

Johanna hears the flutter of wings and looks behind her, putting the books she was putting away down as she sees the pixie's hesitation.

"Johanna, er, some... someone is asking for you."

"Oh? Who?"

"Um, well, it's a... special guest."

"Okay. And where are they right now?"

"Magic and historical theory section, but-"

Johanna storms off before the pixie can finish her sentence. A lamia sees her approaching and is relieved.

"Mistress, we've been waiting for you to help our, ah, guest..."

"Thanks, that'll be all."

Johanna watches the lamia scurry away before turning the corner.

"Arsene, I swear if you-"

She stops mid-sentence as she sees Loki standing on the table to reach a shelf he's half emptied, the other pixie panicking and hiding behind her. There was a huge stack on the table already as he dropped another book on it.

"Loki?"

He looks down at her, book in his hand.

"Oh, good morning. Is this all the books on magical theory you have?"

"There's a few books in the archive I have not catalogued yet, but what in the world are you doing?"

"Research. Why else would I come to the library?"

Johanna dismisses the pixie, who flies as fast away as possible.

"Why do you need me, exactly?"

"Well, I figured you would know best what's here, and I was told I would need your permission to get into the archives anyway."

He jumps down, putting the book in front of the chair next to the stack.

"Am... am I not welcome here?"

"I just wasn't expecting you here. No wonder my helpers were spooked. But can you give me more specifics on what you're looking for?"

"Transformation, binding, and banishing magic, or anything in that vein really."

She sits down, motioning for him to hand her some books. Loki takes ten off the top, placing them next to her before he sits down himself, slightly hunched over from being a bit too tall for the chair. She glances up every now and again, seeing him become more and more frustrated as time went on.

 

Johanna helps him look through the stack, which takes several hours even with both of them. He closes the last book with a sigh, tapping out a rhythm on the table for a moment.

"Hmph, there's barely anything here. Sorry to drop in and make a mess, Johanna, but I do appreciate the help getting through that stack."

She shrugs.

"Don't worry about it. You're at least respectful about it.

“Thank you. Goodbye. Perhaps I will get a chance to look through your archives.”

“Maybe soon. Thanks for the visit, this has been interesting.”

Loki stands up and leaves. Johanna starts sorting the books in the right order, pushing a ladder over to begin replacing them. She mulled over the information, a smile on her face. It's not often she gets to help someone in their research, and rarer on so interesting a subject.

~~~~~~

Arsene hasn't seen or heard from Loki for some time. He is starting to get suspicious. He starts poking around, asking questions, and gets even more suspicious when Sae mentions she hasn't even heard that he's been hanging around the casino from the patrons. He eventually ends up at the library, Johanna the last person he hasn't asked yet.

“How can I help?” The pixie at the desk asked.

“Johanna, please.”

“Wait here.”

Arsene taps his foot impatiently, much to the annoyance of the naga and lamia couple, who move somewhere else. The pixie comes back, motioning him to follow. He follows her upstairs, seeing Johanna up on a ladder, sliding books in. The pixie clears her throat to get her attention, and Johanna looks at him, slightly annoyed.

“I’m in the middle of something, Arsene.”

“You can get right back to it. Have you seen Loki lately?”

“Why does it matter to you?”

“It's just weird that no one has seen him lately.”

Johanna sighs, putting the books down on the shelf. She starts up again, humming in thought.

“Yes, he came here yesterday. He was doing research and asked for my help.”

"You were helping the enemy?!"

Johanna sighs again, looking down at him from the ladder.

"He’s only your enemy, Arsene. Besides, he was very polite. Everyone is welcome in my library, you know that."

"Well, what was he even looking for?"

"Certain magical theories, but beyond that he wasn't specific. He didn't find what he was looking for, in any case."

Arsene narrows his eyes.

"Why do you even care so much about protecting him?"

"Because I respect people's privacy, Arsene. Not like you would even figure out what he was looking for even if you had the books he was going through."

Arsene lets out a huff, turning around and leaving. Clearly, Johanna was not fond of him at the moment.

~~~~~~~

The floor of the mausoleum was freezing. Loki was in agony, barely able to get up from the floor, whimpering pleas to the Reaper to end his life already. He wasn't able to make it to the pool in time to give the beast a taste of its own medicine.

 _"Soon, soon I will take you."_ The voice in the back of his mind hisses. _"I'll make sure you feel everything too."_

The voice goes silent, leaving him letting out painful gasps into the still air of the building. After an hour, everything numbs, Loki finally able to get up without sharp pains.

 _“You know I can't do anything for you.”_ The Reaper gently reminds him.

_I know._

Loki can read the writing on the wall. The time was getting closer. He scrounged around the place for paper he had around somewhere.

~~~~~

“Hey, Arsene dear?”

“Yes Milady?”

“This came for you.”

Arsene got up, moving towards the cafe counter, curious. Milady handed him a folded up note, puzzled. The handwriting of his name was a neat, curly cursive. He opened it, scowling as he got to the end.

_Arsene._

_I ask for a temporary truce. I need to talk to you, alone, on peaceful terms. Meet me at the place specified at this time if you accept._

_Loki_

“It's from Loki. He wants to talk.”

“Oh? Are you going?”

“I suppose I could see what he wants.”

“Just be careful, dear.”

“I will.”

 

Arsene is wary as he shows up to the little building specified. He makes his way to the abandoned courtyard, being cautious of traps. He enters the overgrown area, finding Loki curled up into a ball on an old table, leaning against a wall, looking exhausted.

"No tricks, Loki." He snarls. "Or I will rip out your throat."

Loki coughs out a laugh.

"Is that how you greet someone you have a truce with? Besides, I don't want to fight you."

"I don't believe you."

"That's fine, you never do."

It was quiet for a few moments as Loki took a few deep breaths. He looked pitiful, to say the least.

"Look, I'm sorry about Robin Hood. I know it hurts-" Loki starts before Arsene cut him off.

"I knew it! You _did_ do something, you asshole!"

Arsene goes to strangle him, Loki whipping his head up and staring him in the eyes.

"Shh, relax. Look, I hate that I have to do this to you in order to have a normal conversation."

Arsene freezes, body relaxing as he falls victim to hypnosis.

"Please just hear me out, don't talk until I'm done."

"Yes, master." Arsene murmurs.

Loki sighs. He hated this power.

"I know it hurts he's dead, but you will understand in due time. You're going to have to kill me soon. I can't control myself much longer. I'm losing myself, and I can't do anything to stop it. But you'll know when it's time.”

Loki took another deep breath, nervous as he continued.

“I have a last request before I'm gone, though. Just once, I'd like to kiss you. Now, I'm gonna break eye contact, and I will let you think it over while it wears off, okay? 3, 2, 1, break."

Loki snaps his head around, staring off into the distance. Arsene shakes his head, getting rid of the dizzy feeling as he is suddenly acutely aware of what just happened.

"You... you hypnotized me!"

"You wouldn't let me finish otherwise. But please think about what I said."

He could feel Arsene's eyes boring into him. He shifted to make himself even smaller.

"Just... just a kiss? From me?"

"Yes. That's all I want."

Arsene hums, tapping his foot.

"It's a bit... weird. But okay."

Loki looks back to him, surprised and elated. Arsene stands there, waiting for him. He stands up with some difficulty, crouching down to Arsene's height, cupping his face tenderly, savoring the moment. Loki presses their lips together, wanting more but not wanting to push it. Arsene surprisingly starts reciprocating, pressing Loki back up against the wall. Loki breaks the kiss, panting slightly, confused at the change in him. Arsene licks his lips, stunned for a moment as he backs up. There was a spark of recognition, a small realization, but Loki turns away quickly to leave.

"Wait!"

Arsene holds out a hand. Loki pauses near the door frame, sadness weighing heavy in his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Arsene. You can't forgive us. This is goodbye."

Loki runs off, leaving him behind. He chases after him for a few moments, and then loses him in the twists and turns of the old building. Arsene goes home, tasting his lips again. Earth and ash, exactly how Robin Hood used to taste.

_But that can't be him, right?_


	2. Mercy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one seems to realize how little time they have until its too late.

“Have you said your goodbyes yet?”

Loki snapped his head around, seeing the Reaper below him.

“I… no. I don’t want them to grieve for me again.”

“You don’t have to say goodbye. Just go see the ones you can.”

Loki hummed in thought, brows knitted together. He noticed the Reaper left him alone again as he stood up. He decided to at least go to Milady’s cafe, just once, to see what that felt like. He leapt down from the roof he was perched on, making his way to the place, hoping Arsene didn’t see him on his way there. He made it there fine, going inside, startling a neko shogun on its way out. He gave an apologetic hum, stepping aside to let the panicked cat rush past him. The conversations got quieter when people realized he was there, and he suppressed a sigh.

“Loki?” 

He looks up to see Zorro sitting at the counter, Milady taking an order, unbothered by his presence. Loki moved over to the two of them, slightly embarrassed. 

“Hi.”

Zorro patted the seat next to him, Loki sitting down in it. He made himself small, tapping on his thigh. He could hear snatches of whispers about him, and he decided to just ignore them. Milady turned and saw him, eyes widening in surprise.

“Oh, hello. Would you like something?”

“Uh, just a coffee please.”

He watches Milady brew the coffee, trying to think of what to say.

“Hey, I should really thank you for the other day, Zorro. And I’m sorry you all had to see… that.”

“We really should be thanking you. You faced down the Reaper for us.”

Milady placed a cup in front of him, and he regarded it for a moment before picking it up and taking a sip. 

“How are you feeling, by the way? You had some really nasty injuries.” Milady asked, gently touching his wrist. 

He decided that this friendliness was nice.

“I’m alright, thanks to you all of you. This coffee is really good by the way.”

“Thank you.”

They talked until Loki finished his coffee. He set the empty cup back down, getting up.

“This was nice. Thank you again.”

“You should visit more often.” Milady suggested. “I’d love to have you.”

“Oh, um, I’ll consider it. Tell the others I said hi.” 

Loki forced a grin on his face before he ducked out the door. He wanted to see the others, but he wasn’t sure he would have the time to find them. He could feel his time was getting short. As he starts heading home, Loki feels a pang in his chest, his blood running cold. 

“No no no no no! Not now! Not now!” 

He dashes towards the mausoleum, hoping this time he can make it into the water. It’s like as if lightning had struck him as soon as he gets to the open chamber. He felt himself hitting the floor, feeling some skin scrape off as he skids over the stone. He struggles to crawl towards the pool, only getting a little ways before it came back with a fury, making him scream in agony. 

“No, no, please no…” He begs, curling up into a ball.

The spell that hid the chains broke as he lost concentration, the gold glittering menacingly in the filtered, greenish light of the pool chamber. It felt like the beast was clawing at the inside of his throat.

“Reaper…” He sobs, searing pain coursing through his whole body. “Master! Master please! Ma- ngh!” 

The creature writhed inside his body, and it burned as if he was standing directly in a fire. He screamed again, breaking down into sobs when the pain went back down to what it was before.

“Arsene please! End me! Arsene! Trickster! Please! Please, please kill me! You promised! Please!” 

He is in tears at how much agony the thing was imposing on him. He continues to cry out for both of them, over and over and over. The monster laughed, reveling in his unheard pleas.

~~~~~~~~

Arsene is just back to wandering again, not knowing what to do. He ends up at the casino, walking upstairs looking for something to relieve his boredom. He sees a soft blue light, following it to a door. The door pops open at his approach, and he goes inside, being brought to the same room he found his first night alive. He saw a blonde girl with a blue dress, turning the pages of the book. The Bookkeeper looks up at him, her face holding an unfathomable sadness in it.

“Gather your friends, Trickster. The time is dire.”

Arsene nods, leaving the room. He dashes outside, trying to find his friends as fast as possible.

~~~~~~~~

Loki can't move he's in so much pain. He whimpers, his throat so hoarse from calling out for the Reaper and Arsene. Tears were no longer streaming down his face, having lost the ability to cry anymore about an hour ago.

_ "Give into me, and this pain will all be over. They won't come to your rescue, and you know it." _

In that moment, that honeyed voice was so soothing, so charming. The solution to ending his pain was right in front of him. Loki reaches for the closet chain, tugging on it. 

_ “Yes, that's it. Do it.” _

He closes his fist around it and squeezes hard, feeling it snap under the pressure.

_ "Good boy." _ It purred.

Loki hears the rest of the chains breaking. He lets out a broken scream as the thing digs the broken chains into his body, cutting into him, blood running down his body. He goes limp, and after a few minutes, he starts feeling his body move on its own. He strains to get his body back, but he felt himself trapped deep inside his mind. The creature laughs at his feeble attempt to regain control.

"And now, you're mine. This is  _ my _ body now, you arrogant fool, and you get to watch as I kill them all, one by one." 

He see it opens his eyes, noticing they've become completely gold. The creature is a bit wobbly at first as it stands up on both feet. It experiments with walking around, stumbling before it drops to all fours.   


"This body will take getting used to, but it doesn't matter. I will create a path for my Father to rule over you pathetic fools. The irony, the one who bound me years ago is now my slave."

Loki only whimpered in response.

_ I failed. _

~~~~~~~

Arsene enters the room after everyone else, closing the door behind them. The Bookkeeper had concern written all over her face. Arsene took his place besides Kidd, nodding at her.

“The other half of the prophecy is upon all of you.” She began, slamming her book down on the table. “But first, I need to give you back what you've lost.”

Necronomicon opened her mouth to ask what she meant before the Bookkeeper weaved a spell around all of them, and suddenly all of their memories of Robin Hood came flooding back. Everyone froze, staring at each other. And suddenly, what Loki said to him a few days ago made sense.

“Loki did his best to prevent tragedy, but he can only delay it for so long. It won't be much longer now until the ritual fails.”

“Robin H-... no, Loki really was trying to protect us…” Arsene murmured, a bitter undertone to his voice.

"No wonder he was looking through all the magic books he could find." Johanna mutters. "He was trying to delay it."

“Sorry we didn't believe you, Arsene.” Zorro clapped him on the shoulder, apologetic.

Arsene looked down, crossing his arms.

"So what now? If Loki can keep it under control-" Kidd starts, being interrupted by Arsene. 

"He said he can't do it anymore. He can't control it anymore."

“Twenty-five years…” Milady bites her lip. “I can't imagine what he went through, living with the knowledge that we all forgot he existed.”

Arsene felt his guilt eating at him as everyone else quietly discusses what they could do.

"Is there a way we can contact Loki right now?" Arsene asks. "We need to know how much longer we have left." 

The Bookkeeper pauses, flipping through her book. 

"I can try."

The Bookkeeper waves her hand in intricate patterns, a little ball of light appearing in her cupped hands. 

“Hello?” She speaks into it, glancing up as they crowd closer. 

There was a loud silence, but then they could hear something moving on the other side.

"Well, hello there Trickster, and friends." The voice was hollow and low. "Were you looking for someone?" 

"What did you do to Loki?!" Arsene snarls. 

"Oh, he's still here, let me get him for you." 

A pause. 

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, he's-" 

They hear Loki whimper before being cut off. 

"Never thought the Reaper's Chosen could be so  _ pathetic _ .” The creature said, snickering. “I must say, I did enjoy breaking him so completely."   
"Who are you?" Zorro demanded.

"I am... " 

The creature seems to pause, reaching for something. It hums out a few notes before it spoke again.

"I suppose you can call me Hunger. You fools thought you could kill me the last time, but here I am."   


"You'll pay for what you did to him." 

"Oh please, Trickster, we both know you don't care about him.” 

“I-” Arsene started, before Hunger cut him off again.

“It was so sad hearing him cry out for you, someone who can't love him back. That poor, sad creature.” It was mocking Loki now.

“No…” Arsene's voice cracked, his wings drooping.

“So, what does that make it now for you? Two for two on failing to save the Pallbearer in time?” 

Arsene stiffens, shaking with rage as the thing laughs.

“I must say Trickster, that’s an incredible track record you have."

“You little-!” Arsene growled, being held back by Zorro.

“Bye-bye now.”

The ball of light blinked out as Hunger cut the connection. The Bookkeeper closed her book.

“We had less time than I thought.” She mused. 

Arsene was so furious, both at that creature and at himself for not realizing who Loki really was. For not believing him all this time.

“Hopefully, we can find and free Loki before too long.”

They gathered themselves, readying for the restart of the battle they could not win last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The creature has a name now and it's a jerk face.


	3. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They come face to face with Hunger.

The eight of them go out, Arsene scouting around for any sign of the creature. He spotted a familiar shape in the distance, black and white. He looked to be carrying something, but Arsene couldn’t see it from where he was in the sky.

“Is… is that Loki? Did he free himself?” He mutters out loud to himself.

Arsene flies back down, leading his friends to where he saw Loki. As they get closer, Loki perks up, hearing their approach.

“Loki, you're o-”

Arsene yelps in surprise as Loki turns and throws the body of Robin Hood down in front of them, eyes completely gold now. He had bits of chain draped around him, making a show of pulling them off, ripping some of his flesh with them. Goldish crimson blood flowed down his body, the wounds slowly closing themselves up.

"Oh, poor, broken Robin... he didn't know what he was doing to his body." Loki laughed. "Your love drove him insane, Arsene, don't you know?" 

"That's... thats not true!" 

"Hahahaha! How naive. Poor little thing couldn't handle it, being with someone with such a strict time limit. He craved death so needily, too. The Reaper quite enjoyed his touch." 

"That wasn't Robin!" 

"Oh please, you never knew. You never loved the  _ real _ him, just the husk of a creature who thought he would come out fine with the death toll being so high." 

"Arsene he's baiting you!" Johanna shouts as he takes off towards him. “It's not Loki!”

Hunger summons Loki's sword, slamming the flat of the blade into Arsene and into the ground. Arsene snarls and claws at his feet, pushing to throw him off balance. Hunger stabs him in the leg right as Arsene claws his arm, making him drop the sword. Arsene makes an attempt to get up, immediately getting one of his wings stomped on, letting out a yelp. He claws his leg again, pushing up and starting to stand. Hunger grabs him by the throat and slams him back into the ground, snarling, teeth bared. Everyone else converged on them, knocking Hunger backwards. Hunger hits them all with a heavy almighty spell, throwing them away from him. He turns and runs off as they recover.

"You get back here!" Arsene screams, about to take off again before Goemon grabs his shoulder and holds him down. 

"It's a trap, we need to plan this out, Arsene. Come on."

Goemon starts pulling him away, Arsene struggling.

“Let go of me, Goemon!”

“No.”

They fall back to the casino, forcibly dragging Arsene with them so he didn't get himself killed. Goemon keeps a tight grip on him so he didn’t fly off right when their backs were turned.

“Poor Pallbearer.” Milady murmured.

“It’s controlling his body… but how did it do that?” Zorro wondered out loud.

Arsene ripped himself out of Goemon's grip, breathing hard, pissed off.

“Arsene, calm down.”

“That fucker. It's using him.” He growls.

“That would make sense, though. From the way that spell looked, it seemed Robin Hood killed its body but not its spirit.” Necro said, and then winced. “Oohh… it must've been trapped inside his body…” 

They all were horrified at Necro's sudden realization.

“So, what? It just took him over??” Kidd muttered.

“Seems like it.” 

Johanna turns to find Arsene flying out the door.  

“Arsene! Come back here!” 

Arsene ignored her, going back to scoop up Robin Hood's body. It seemed the creature also removed all the flowers too, just to add insult to injury. He bit his tongue in anger, grip tightening on Robin. He took several deep breaths to clear away some of his anger, standing up. He carried it back to the casino, to the mixed reactions of his friends. 

“These shackles-” He cut Johanna off before she could scold him. “They must've been the key to trapping the thing, right?”

“Oh, hold on. I’ve got this.” 

Necro pushed her way to him, placing a hand on one of the shackles. She concentrates, pulling her hand back after a few moments.

“Whatever magic is left in them isn’t strong enough to do it a second time, but yeah, that’s what he used.”

Arsene pulled at one of the shackles in an effort to get one off. He is yanking as hard as he can, hunched over with the effort.

“Arsene, what are you-”

Carmen ducks as the shackle snaps off suddenly, a piece flying somewhere into the room. He drops that onto the floor, tugging at the other one around Robin's wrist.

“I said they won't work like that anymore! Are you even listening?”

Arsene paused, his logic catching up with him. He let go of the shackle he was trying to pull off, shaking. 

“I am going to tear that thing apart.” He snarled. “I will, I swear I-”

“Put the body down, Arsene.” Zorro put a hand on his shoulder, getting Arsene's attention. 

Arsene hesitated, blinking owlishly. He realized he was digging his claws into the body, feeling ashamed. He slowly laid Robin down on the ground. Zorro slung his arm around him and pulled him over to the rest of the group so they could talk. Arsene rubbed at his eyes. He couldn't cry here, not now. Not when there's a fight to win and vengeance to be had.

~~~~~~

Hunger knew Home wasn't too far away from where he ended up running. He went towards it, thinking back on all his dead siblings that the group killed. 

_ Bastards. _

The Chosen made a few more attempts, and any struggle was quickly put down.

_ “They'll kill you too.”  _ Loki spat.  _ “Just like them.” _

“You're nothing but a mere annoyance. They couldn't kill me the last time, even with you, isn't that right?”

No response. Hunger grinned, having won the argument.

Hunger paused at the entrance, confused. He realizes how much smaller he has become in his own home, how much he had been changed against his will. He wandered inside, wondering if He would even recognize him anymore.

"Father, I'm home." He called out. 

Nothing but an echo. He looked around, wondering if more had changed than he thought. 

"Father?" 

Home was now a lot harder to navigate due to the size of his borrowed body. He looks up, pausing. The sword his Father kept on hooks was no longer there, the hooks dusty. He felt the rage bubble up inside him as he connected the dots. He knew. Hunger knew Father went to go kill the group Himself. He felt his prisoner smirk, letting out a snarl. Loki let out a yelp as he mentally lashed out at him. 

“Don't forget where you are, you  _ disgusting _ creature.”

He heard Loki groan in the back of his mind.

“I am still stronger than all of your pathetic friends combined."

Hunger stalked out of the place, looking for people to hunt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I think this will be the last really quick chapter, most likely. Arsene is a very angry boy.


	4. Plan, Meet Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group is giving it their all to defeat Hunger, only to experience major deja vu.

Arsene listened to the plan that they had all come up with together. He mulled it over as they talked over some of the smaller points.

“Johanna, what was Loki looking for?”

“Huh?”

“The books.”

Johanna put a finger to her lips as she thought.

“Oh, he was looking for transformation, binding and banishing magic theories. Why?”

“I know he didn't find anything, but what about you? You must have found something interesting.”

“Transformation magic was easily the most interesting and well researched one, comparatively. It says certain conditions must be met for a complete transformation.”

“Did it specify?”

“Several types, several different ways. Why?”

“It might help us understand Loki's body, right? He goes through a transformation when he dies. I mean, so do we, but his was weird.”

“Hmm. Could you be more specific?”

“I know we all change when we die, but is there a way to like, transform while alive?”

“I don't recall if there was a specific way to do that that would guarantee it, but it's possible. Just difficult to do. But if anyone could figure it out, it would be a Trickster.”

Arsene hums, lost in thought. 

~~~~~~~~

Hunger licked the blood off his claws, not caring that there was still some running down his chin. Loki felt sick to his stomach as Hunger wiped off his mouth. 

“Taking the hearts out myself is much more fun, heh.” He murmured to Loki's dismay.

_ “You sick twisted bastard.” _

“Oh come now, I'm letting you enjoy the show. Or would you rather it's your little crush's heart, hm? Because that will happen soon enough, I promise.”

That shut him up. Hunger stood up, scanning the skies for signs of Arsene, before he moved on to find his next victim. 

~~~~~~~

Arsene spotted him, starting to circle above him. Hunger seemed to move disjointedly on his hands and feet, the movement unnatural and a bit unnerving.

“Found it. Looks focused on something.” 

“Understood. Engage with caution.” Necro responded.

“Got it. Going in now.”

Arsene circled once, twice, and then took a dive towards Hunger, focusing on his next move. Arsene slammed into him, feet first, knocking him off balance and getting a surprised grunt out of him. Hunger regained his footing quickly, standing up on two feet, snarling at him. He summoned the sword again, taking several swings at Arsene. He dodged most of them, the rest falling a bit short to Hunger's frustration. Arsene could see his friends take position around them. He throws the sword at Arsene, it grazing the top of his wing, before leaping at him, claws brandished. It started slashing at him, also falling a bit short again. Hunger let out a howl of frustration.

“ _ Fuck this inferior body! _ ” He screeched, throwing himself at Arsene.

“Now!”

He managed to claw Arsene's face before Goemon froze his leg to the spot. Hunger snarled, attacking the ice to free himself. Kidd followed up with lightning, and then Carmen and Milady hit him with fire and psy. He broke himself free of the ice, running towards Milady and Carmen, jumping. Zorro hit him in the chest with a wind attack, enough to knock him off course for the two to get away. Hunger slashed at Zorro, Johanna blinding him with a nuclear attack while Arsene hit him with curse. 

“Enough!”

Hunger released a whirlwind of almighty energy, knocking all of them down.

“You think that will hurt me?!  _ Me?  _ A superior being?!”

He summons the sword, holding it out straight at chest level and spinning with it. Arsene ducked under the blade, rushing in. Hunger let the sword go, hitting Zorro before kicking Arsene hard in the stomach. Hunger growled as Kidd hit him with another lightning spell whipping around. He made a claw with his hand as he thrust it towards Kidd, and his knuckles audibly cracked as he spoke an incantation. He grins, Kidd gasping as a black fire burned into his skin.

“Have fun with your friend!”

Hunger leapt up to a nearby roof. Arsene went after him, getting halfway up before being hit by lightning. He yelped, smacking into the building as he lost control for a moment. Hunger laughed as he started getting away. Kidd was going nuts and attacking all of them.

“Kidd?! What's wrong with him?” 

“He's going berserk! Someone knock him out, quickly!” Necro yelled, narrowly avoiding one of his spells.

Zorro made quick work of him, rendering Kidd unconscious. He picked Kidd up, working on healing and waking him up again. Kidd groaned as he came to.

“What…? What happened?” He asked.

“Hunger turned you against us somehow.” Johanna explained. “Are you feeling okay?”

“‘m fine, it's all of you ‘m worried ‘bout.”

Arsene flew up to see where Hunger went. He swore when he couldn't see him. He landed with a huff.

“We lost him.”

“Right, c'mon, let's at least get to shelter somewhere for a moment.”

~~~~~~

Hunger felt a little of his own blood roll down his side. He ignored it for now, knowing his next feast would fix that. He stalked a couple of nagas, and when he cornered them, he pounced. He tore into them, letting momentum do most of the work. When he was done, he felt the wounds close, felt a bit more power surge through him.

_ More hearts. I need more. _

He keeps his eyes peeled for the group, determined not to get ambushed again as he seeks out more fresh meat.

~~~~~~~

“We have to be more careful from now on. He can turn any of us.”

They started searching for Hunger, warning everyone they found to get to a safer place and hide. Arsene was in the air, flying a little low over the buildings to see in between them better. He perks up at a weird sound, like wood cracking. He goes to investigate, perching on a building corner when he sees Hunger hunched over something. He watches as he tugs once, twice, and then yank. Hunger turns slightly, and Arsene suddenly noticed two things:

One, that he was standing over a body, and two, he was holding a still beating heart. 

_ “Uuhh, found it.”  _ He sent to Necro mentally, short-circuiting as the scene unfolds in front of him.

He can't look away as Hunger lifts the heart up, shoving the whole thing into his mouth, and then chewing. Blood flowed from his mouth, staining the white stripes dark pink. He physically has to stop himself from audibly screaming and retching, tearing his gaze away. After a moment or two, he risks his sanity for another peak, Hunger now licking his hand and fingers clean.

_ What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck. _

He backs away from the edge as Hunger starts to look around, stumbling and landing with a smack as his palms hit the rooftop. 

_ Shit. _

He starts standing up, trying to make a swift exit, but he nearly screams as a hand grabs his shoulder and slams him back down onto the roof.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” 

Hunger smirks as Arsene struggles in his grip. He grabs the other shoulder with his free hand and holds him there, shifting his weight into keeping him there.

“What's the rush, Trickster? Didn't you want to see him again?” 

He grins, splatters of blood decorating the sharp whites. Arsene feels dizzy staring into his eyes, and that's when he remembers a moment too late about the hypnotism.

“Shh, relax. It'll all be over soon. Be still.”

Hunger pulled back, freeing a hand only to close it around his throat and start choking him. Arsene is internally screaming at his body to try to get it to respond, but the combined weight of Hunger and the hypnotism made his body refuse any commands. 

“Nice and slow. Wouldn't want  _ him _ to miss watching you die up close and personal.”

Arsene closed his eyes as he struggled, feeling the connection break. Hunger yelps as lightning hits him, freeing Arsene. Arsene rolls onto his side as he gasps for breath.

“The cavalry's here, mate!”

Arsene let out a snarl as he turned and slammed a heavy curse spell into Hunger, Hunger dropping down to all fours and running off. Kidd helps him up, concerned.

“You alright?”

“Forgot about the hypnotism.” He grunted.

“Yeah, Yer fine. C'mon, before we lose it again.”

Arsene and Kidd start chasing after Hunger, determined now.

~~~~~~~

He could feel the Pallbearer seething inside of him.

“Oh, what are  _ you  _ going to do about it? Cry?”

Hunger rolled his eyes, keeping an eye behind him. He knew they would be following him, so he kept moving. He weaved in between the buildings, wondering why it was so deserted all of a sudden. He spotted a pixie at the same time it saw him, flying as fast it could away from him. He chased after to a dead end, smirking at its panic. He raised a claw to slash at it, his arm jerking away and missing. The pixie zips off unnoticed as he growls at Loki.

“You think you're funny, don't you?” 

_ “Fuck you.” _

Hunger snarls, mentally hurting him again. Loki hisses in pain as Hunger starts moving again, looking up at the sky for Arsene.

~~~~~~

They surround Hunger slowly and quietly, watching him tense up when he starts noticing them. They pounce on him, giving it their all. Hunger did not seem to be fazed or slowed down at all. Even though he was still a bit unsteady on two legs and had taken some heavy hits, he was still quick and returning blows with just as much force. Hunger turns on his heel after Arsene throws another curse spell at him, realizing he had gotten a bit too close as Hunger goes for the throat. Hunger’s arm jerks oddly, throwing him forward at the sudden movement, Arsene untouched as he leaps backwards.

“Run!” 

The voice was smooth and warm, unlike its usual hollowness, Arsene recognizing it.

“Loki?!”

Hunger stands upright, shaking his head.

"You're. Supposed. To. Stay. Down!" Hunger growls, stomping his hoof after each word, regaining control. 

The others use it as an opening to attack him. They knock Hunger down for just a moment, getting in a spell from half of them before he got back up again, furious. He made the claw motion again, this time once at Johanna and a second time at Goemon. Johanna turns and hits them all with a heavy nuclear attack, leaving them scrambling as Goemon slashes at Zorro.

“You bastard!” Arsene screams at Hunger's back as he retreats in the chaos.

They knock both of them out with some difficulty, more exhausted now. Arsene is pissed that Hunger keeps turning their friends against them, about getting away again, that he swears to himself that he will take Hunger down, no matter what. He blinks as he starts seeing the edge of something wrapped around him, flickering in and out of his vision. He glances at his friends as they stare back at him, but they made no comments on seeing anything. 

“Let's fall back for now.” Necro suggested.

“Agreed. We need to replan.” Johanna agrees, the edge of her voice wavering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uuh I upped the rating because I got a little carried away and I think it's just a little too graphic for teen now. Yikes.


	5. Final Bow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one thing these mortal enemies have in common and is that they can't wait for this to end.

Arsene drifted through the casino, too wired to sleep for very long. He found himself thinking deeply about the past, and how with the regained memories, everything is different looking back on it. He finds himself outside, kneeling by Robin Hood’s body. He was definitely more faded now than he had been in that coffin. They moved the body outside, not having the time to bury it, so they wouldn’t trip over it. He presses a hand to Robin’s chest, trying to figure out what went wrong.

“Why… why did you have to? It wasn’t…”

He stops, looking away.

_Breathe in, breathe out. Can’t change the past._

His mind drifts to Loki, and how Loki tried to reach out to him multiple times, and how he just pushed him away, accusing him of things he had no hand in. Loki, who tried his hardest to keep Hunger at bay, who barely got by even without whatever Arsene had did to him on top of it. Who isolated himself because he knew he would die. Who loved him, when he didn’t even recognize him.

_All of that because of the thing inside him was something I was supposed to destroy? I’m awful._

He turned his attention back to Robin Hood. Staring deeply into his face, Arsene came to a rather horrible realization.

_I’m older than Loki. If we succeed, I will outlive him._

“Did you know we would forget you? Forget everything you did?” He murmured. “Is this… was it justified, Robin?”

He felt disgusted, getting up, going back inside. He didn’t want to look at Robin Hood anymore. Something flickered on the edge of his vision, something a bit more solid, something black, making him pause. He reached out for whatever he was seeing, but he felt nothing. His emotions were all over the place, making him uneasy. He decided to go to bed again, just to lie down for a few moments. He fell asleep as soon as he got into bed.

~~~~~~~~

Hunger paced around the entrance to his home, fuming. The Group kept trying to kill him, fighting him whenever they could. Loki stayed silent, knowing he was no longer able to do anything now that Hunger had a mental chokehold on him after his last stunt. And with their warnings, hearts to eat were extremely difficult and bothersome to find. Hunger was frustrated at this whole situation.

“This should be child’s play.” He muttered.

He paused, coming to a realization.

“I am holding back. This body is still stronger than all of them if I stop playing games.”

Hunger stalked outside, determined to end this.

“Oh Chosen~, hope you’re excited to watch all your precious friends die by your own hands!”

_“Hate you.”_

“Heh, tough luck then. You did this to yourself.”

_“Bastard.”_

Hunger made his way to the casino in the dead of night, spotting the body outside, untouched otherwise.

“Perhaps we should send them a message first?”

Hunger picked up the body again, grinning as Loki winced.

~~~~~~~~

Their plan had to work this time, it just had to. Arsene stayed quiet as the final details were hammered out, contemplating every little piece.

“Oh Trickster~!”

Everyone froze as Hunger's voice sang out to them. Arsene moved to the door, jumping when something heavy thumped against it. He cautiously opened it, taking a step back as it fell into the building. It was Robin Hood's body, but this time his entire face was scratched to hell, disfiguring him. Everyone else stopped in their tracks a few feet away, watching Arsene carefully.

“Arsene?” Milady asked, deeply concerned.

If it had been earlier in their war, Arsene would have flown out to fight Hunger alone over this blatant disrespect of the dead. But now he felt nothing. No anger, no sadness, nothing. He coldly shoved the body aside so it would stop blocking the entrance.

“Let's go. We need to end this, together.” He finally spoke, turning to face them.

They followed him outside. This was it, this was their final stand, and from the way Hunger looked miffed at Arsene's non reaction, he was intending this meeting to be his final stand too.

“You're going to die.” Arsene stated.

Hunger snorted, standing up.

“Bold, I like that. But you're wrong. You'll be the one to die!”

Hunger tenses as they all rush him, both sides wanting to finally end this.

~~~~~~~~

Hunger is tired of this. Between the constant attempts of meddling by Loki, and the absolute stubbornness of the others to just lie down and die was getting on his nerves. Arsene slashes at him, which he counters by a strong kick to the throat. Arsene gets the wind knocked out of him as he hits the ground. Hunger picks him up and throws him at his friends with a snarl. He huffs, knowing his body is starting to grow weary. They jump at him again, trying to knock him down but he hits them with another spell, knocking all of them several feet back with a snarl.

“You are all so _fucking_ annoying.” He hisses, shoving the visor down over his eyes.

He makes an x-shaped slashing movement over his chest, feeling that inner power rush through him. He sees the Group hesitate as his body is wreathed in black flames, speckled with gold.

“Playtime's over!”

He leaps at them with renewed strength and energy. Arsene moves to meet him, snarling.

“Arsene wait!” Zorro shouts.

Hunger delights in the surprised expression on the Trickster's face as he grabs it and slams him into the ground with enough force to hear a cracking noise. He bounces and slides back towards his friends, a little slow to get up, holding his left arm. Carmen pushed magic into him to heal it, him letting go of the arm.

“Scared, Trickster? I can't wait to eat all of your hearts!”

Hunger leaps at them, their line breaking as he starts tearing into them. Loki was gasping in the back of his head as he mentally choked him to prevent anymore of his meddling while he fought.

“You're not getting away with this!” One of them growled at him.

He swiftly attacked Kidd, shutting him up fast. He was going to beat them and it would be so satisfying.

~~~~~~~~

Arsene hiccuped as he tried to quickly get air into his lungs again. His muscles screamed as he struggled to push himself up, blood in his eyes and more pooled under him. A quick glance at his friends told him they were all gravely injured, all exhausted, while Hunger stood proud above them, smirking. Arsene slipped, smacking his face into the ground, groaning as pain wracked his body. All of them barely alive, not even able to get up and fight. Hunger laughed as he made another attempt, shaking violently as if he was about to fall apart at the seams. He heard Hunger get close, stepping on his back and grinding his hoof into him hard, making him scream out in pain.

“It's over, stay down. Take the hint from your friends, Trickster. You've lost.” He taunted. “And to the victor goes the spoils.”

He felt the hoof raised off of him, watching as Hunger stepped around all of them, humming in amusement.

“Oh, but which heart should I eat first, Pallbearer? Do you have a preference?”

He circled once, twice, looking over all of them dismissively. Arsene despairs for a moment, dreading to watch him eat his friends one by one. Fearing for Loki, knowing he is helpless inside that body and watching.

_Robin Hood… why did you do this? Why did you inflict such cruelty onto him?! I… You're a monster…_

He clenches his fist as the despair gives way to a tidal flood of anger.

_I won't forgive you! I'll never forgive you for this!_

Arsene sees the thing again, though this time it was solid and real. Bluish black chains are draped around him, a soft blue halo around the links. He feels that anger and despair become one, turning into a deep seated resolve. He stands up shakily, defiant, aware of how much he had lost.

"Oh, what? Eager to be the first to die? Because I can arrange that for you." Hunger chuckles, turning towards him, starting to circle.

"I keep holding onto a dead love like he's more important than everyone else still alive, still breathing. He isn't. He wasn't perfect, in fact, he made someone else suffer for his actions. Im done holding back, done living in the past! I'm going to drag you straight to hell for what you've done!"

Arsene reaches out, grabs the chains and breaks them, feeling renewed as the metal falls to the ground. The blue halo races up his fingertips, enveloping him as he feels the change, wings stretching out and splitting, his horns elongating, getting taller, his shoulders broadening. He walks forward, seeing the sneer on Hunger's face drop into surprise. Hunger backpedals as Satanael holds out his hand to summon a deep black lance. The other hand he weaves a spell over his friends, healing them.

“Your death draws near, creature.” Satanael states, pushing forward and taking into the air with his six wings.

“What, putting on a show for your own death? Unimpressed.” Hunger half-snarls, the uncertain tone undercutting the insult.

Satanael circles in the air once, twice, hefting the lance into position as he folds up his wings. Hunger throws several curse and almighty spells at him as Satanael dives towards him, the spells not affecting him at all. Hunger's confused growling is cut short as Satanael spears him through the heart. The gold fades from his eyes, a soft smile on his face.

"Thank you." Loki whispers, right before he collapses.

Satanael dives for him, holding his body as the Reaper appears. The blue halo fades as his body changes back as he grieves. The Reaper reaches out for Loki, its expression soft. His friends gather together, nearby but giving them space.

"It is time for him to go."

Arsene clutches onto him tighter, curling his body over him.

"I... I want him to live for just a little longer. I want to spend my last days with him. Please.”

The Reaper tilts its head, considering him. Arsene stares up at it, teary.

“There must be something I can offer? Half of my time left, for him?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I don't want him to suffer anymore. He's… he's suffered enough."

The Reaper stares at him, crouching down. Arsene tenses up as it reaches for Loki again.

“Trickster. Let me.”

Arsene carefully hands it the body, watching carefully. The Reaper cradles Loki, placing a hand over Arsene's heart, making him tense. It murmurs quietly, placing Loki down on the ground. Arsene feels a pull deep inside as The Reaper worked, making Arsene gasp. The Reaper gets up, giving Arsene a nod.

“See you both soon.” It murmurs, disappearing.

Loki gasps, flinching, trying to move away from Arsene.

"Hes- hes, don't come near me, he-"

"Loki."

He freezes, eyes shut. Arsene hugs him tight, trying to slow down the bleeding from the hole in his chest. He hears his friends rush towards them.

"Loki you're bleeding, stay still. You're okay. You're gonna be okay." He reassures him, feeling the blood ooze all over his hands.

He felt Loki slowly return the hug, then he felt his claws dig in deep, holding on tightly. Arsene bit his tongue to keep himself crying out in pain. Zorro and Kidd have to pry them apart so Zorro can heal Loki. Loki tries to get up, getting partway before he blacks out, Arsene catching him.

“Loki?!” Arsene panics, shocked.

“Hey, come on. He'll be okay. Let's take him to the cafe. The couches will be good for him.” Milady suggests, kneeling down next to Arsene.

Arsene picks him up, awkwardly trying to hold him, remembering how much bigger Loki was than him in that moment. Kidd floats to him, slipping his arms under Loki.

“Hey, lemme do that, mate.” Kidd murmurs, taking Loki from Arsene with ease.

Arsene gets upset for a moment before he swallows it, not wanting to lash out at his friends.

“Okay.” He says, sadness creeping into his voice anyway.

Kidd lets Arsene stick close to him, bumping into his elbow every now and again. He mumbled an apology every time it happened, more focused on Loki. Milady slips ahead of them, opening the cafe and going upstairs. Kidd steps off to the side, Arsene following, as Johanna and Milady push two of the couches together to make a bed. Kidd lays Loki down carefully, pushing Arsene back a little.

“He'll wake up, right? Right?” He asked Zorro, worried.

“He will. It probably took a lot out of him.” Zorro places a hand on Arsene's shoulder. “Now, come on. Milady will watch over him.”

“But I…”

“You can stay too, Arsene.” Milady says quickly.

“Are you sure that's a good idea?” Johanna mutters into her ear.

Arsene beams despite her biting remark.

“I'll keep an eye on him.”

The rest of them depart, Milady pulling Arsene down onto a different couch. Arsene was fidgeting, moving around, couldn't stay still, kept staring at Loki. Milady stills his hands, snapping his attention to her.

“He'll be fine. It's over.”

An hour passes with Milady ending up falling asleep on him, Arsene being incredibly still as to not wake her up. Still, he kept himself awake, watching over Loki, worry eating at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arsene finally let go of Robin Hood.


	6. What's Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does someone reconcile with another when they are suspicious of their actions and guarded just in case? Arsene doesn't quite know, but he wants to try.

Milady left the two of them alone so she could gather everyone. Arsene hovered nearby, pacing, wondering when Loki would wake up. He could hear everyone else moving around downstairs, Milady coming back up. Loki stirs, Arsene's breath catching. Loki stares up at the ceiling, eyes now completely red, no gold in sight.

"Loki?"

He jolts upright, seeing Arsene had moved to the side of the makeshift bed, backing away, confused. Arsene starts to reach out, stopping as Loki just retreats more, curling in on himself, hyperventilating. Milady nudges him on her way past him, giving Loki a once over.

“Arsene, go get someone to check over his wounds.”

Arsene nodded, turning and going downstairs. Milady offers her hand palm up to Loki, concerned. He starts getting control of his breathing again, placing his hand in hers as he starts relaxing a bit.

“Where…? What?”

He shudders again, squeezing her hand and curling into a ball for a moment.

“It's okay. It's okay. You're safe now.” She reassures him.

Loki uncurls, looking up at her, searching for any insincerity in her face. He starts to get up, wincing as things press against him. Milady helps him, bracing for the extra weight.

“Lean on me if you have to, Loki.”

He does a little, unsteady on his feet. He walks a little, sitting down on a different couch as he hissed in pain. He became pale, putting a hand over his mouth, looking sick.

“Water?”

Loki nods, curling up onto the couch, feet off the floor. Milady gives him a glass of water and places a trash can nearby, just in case. He gulps down half of it, squeezing his eyes shut. Milady takes one of the couches and turns it to face him, sitting across from him.

“Thank you.”

Zorro comes up the stairs ahead of everyone else, Arsene in the back. Zorro looks him over, putting a little more healing magic into him, him sighing in relief. Carmen steals the seat next to Loki, Arsene looking hurt before Kidd pulls him onto the other couch between him and Milady. Goemon and Johanna sit next to Carmen, Zorro and Necro taking the spots next to Kidd, Necro sitting on the arm of the chair. Loki becomes guarded, watching Kidd and Arsene carefully. He drinks the rest of the water as it becomes quiet, putting the glass down.

“We're supposed to be dead.” He said finally, voice scratchy.

The tension is relieved a little after he spoke.

“You're free now. You have time left.” Arsene got up as he spoke, seeing Loki focused on him, tensing up.

It became quiet again, everyone not sure what to say.

“Hey, out of curiosity, how old was Robin Hood?” Necro asked.

Loki glanced over at her, putting his feet on the floor as he thought.

“He was three hundred and… ten? I wanna say ten.”

The mixed reactions of sadness, anger and shock.

“And he put this on you?!” Zorro spluttered. “Twenty years older than me and he decided to make you live with that thing?!”

“Why are all of you so upset? It was our decision after all.”

“Just… did he know?” Johanna started, having to curb her anger a bit to continue. “Did he know we would forget?”

“We still don't know why that happened, actually…” Loki admitted. “He thought you would all remember.”

Loki sighed, looking away for a moment as it got silent again. Arsene took a step closer. Everyone else shifted, unsure what was happening. He stared up at Arsene, slightly annoyed as he spoke.

"Why? Why did you save me?"

"Why wouldn't I? You're a friend of my friends and I love you."

"Liar. You don't love me, you could never love me. You love Robin."

"I know you used to be him." Arsene murmurs, touching his arm, leaning into his chest.

He kisses Loki, who makes a confused noise before shoving him away. Arsene stumbles, stunned.

"You can't forgive us! Don't lie to make us feel better!" He hisses at him, the voice becoming raspy.

"I-"

"Arsene. Let's talk outside." Zorro interrupts, practically dragging him downstairs.

Zorro pulls him outside, smacking him upside the head.

“Ow! Zorro!”

“What are you doing?”

“What do you mean what am I doing?”

“You just- Look, do you even understand what's going on?!”

"He's being confusing. He's wanted me for a while and now he's-" Arsene interrupts himself with a huff.

Zorro stares at him hard, making Arsene shift a little. He sighs, putting a hand on his shoulder and making direct eye contact.

"Arsene, why would he trust you anymore?"

"What, what do y-"

Arsene freezes, full of guilt as he remembers.

“O-oh…”

"I'm surprised he talked to you at all after everything you did."

"I need to fix this. I... need to talk to him."

Arsene rushes back inside.

"Arsene, wait, don't-"

~~~~~~~

Milady silently corrals everyone but Loki and Carmen downstairs after Zorro takes Arsene with him. Loki is curled into himself as Carmen says nothing. Milady comes back with three coffees, placing them down.

"Thank you." Loki says, picking up one of the cups.

It took a few moments before Carmen decided to say something.

"Rough day, huh?" Carmen jokes lightly.

"I... suppose." Loki smiles briefly before becoming upset again.

"Sorry about him." Milady started, pausing upon seeing the look on his face.

"Don’t worry about it. We're used to it."

"That doesn't make it okay."

Loki shrugs, sipping his coffee.

"I'd rather him leave me alone right now."

"I'm sorry we forgot about you." Carmen said.

"Not your fault either, that was an error on our part."

"It's over now."

"Mhm."

“You're in love with him, aren't you?” Carmen asks bluntly, drawing a surprised glance from Milady.

“Why must you all ask me such unfair questions?” Loki hiccups in the middle of his sentence, rubbing his eye. “Of… of course I do. We never stopped loving him.”

They could hear Arsene and Zorro start arguing outside. Loki looks away, pulling a feather out and began playing with it.

"Arsene's, right? Why keep it?" Carmen asked, leveling her gaze.

"You don't throw away a good luck charm, do you? Haha." Loki sighs, clutching it close to his chest. "Jokes aside, it has good memories attached to it. It makes me happy." 

"After everything he-?"

"Yes. He may not be able to forgive me but I already have forgiven him for all of this."

Milady put her cup down, moving to sit next to him. He wiped away some stray tears after putting the feather away.

"I know he doesn't return my feelings, but-"

"He remembers now." Carmen interrupts, drawing a wince from him. "We all do. You know you'll regret it if you push him away."

Loki stares at his hooves, idly twirling a strand of hair around his finger. Milady reached out to him, placing her hand on top of his.

"Would you like more coffee?"

"No thank you, I've already overstayed my welcome here."

"Nonsense. You're always welcome here."

Loki blinks, burying his face in the crook of his arm with an audible sob. Milady adjusted her hand, rubbing her thumb over his hand in little circles. Carmen hears Arsene coming back upstairs, intercepting him and steering him back down.

"Not right now. Give him space."

"But-"

"Just let him process everything in peace."

"Just, stay here for tonight, okay? I'd hate for you to be by yourself. And Carmen can look over your wounds again in the morning." Milady murmured.

Loki looks up at her, staring. He nods after a moment, hiding his face again. Milady pats him on the back before getting up and going to find something for him to use as a blanket. She comes back with an old blanket, draping it over his shoulders. He tenses for a moment before grabbing it and drawing it around him tighter. Milady walks downstairs, seeing Arsene waiting. He starts to walk towards her, eager.

“Don't.” Milady says sharply, stopping him in his tracks. “Leave him alone right now.”

“But-”

“He will talk to you when _he_ wants to talk to you. Just go home.”

Arsene's wings droop, dragging against the floor. He does as she asks, flying off. Everyone else starts leaving, Milady catching Carmen by the elbow.

“Hey, I said I would have you look over his wounds again tomorrow. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course! I'd be happy to. Poor dear's been through a lot, after all.”

“Thank you.”

Milady sees everyone off, closing and locking the door. She walks back upstairs to see Loki had fallen asleep where he was.

~~~~~~~

The next day, Arsene is waiting downstairs for the okay to go up as Carmen ascends the stairs. Loki and Milady are already awake and having coffee. Carmen checks him over, Loki letting her move him as she needed. She pulls back after putting a bit more healing into some of the deeper wounds, sitting next to Milady on the other couch.

"Arsene is downstairs, waiting to see you."

Loki glances over, curls himself up on the couch, makes himself look smaller. He was shaking again.

"Why? He can't forgive us. We put him through so much pain I..." 

"But was it your decision?"

"Hm?"

"Did you make that decision or did Robin?"

"Robin did... but I don't see-"

"You didn't have a choice, Loki. Robin was the one who made it for you."

"Robin isn't the one he looks at like a monster!" Loki snaps at them.

His face drops after a moment, seeing their faces.

"I... sorry... I'm afraid he's just going to forget again and, and I don't think I can-" He whimpers, hiding his face as he starts sobbing.

She knew what it was. He had his heart broken one too many times by Arsene. She needed an answer as to why. Carmen slips downstairs, seeing Arsene get up.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked, voice urgent and low.

"Yes."

"Why did you start... y'know..."

Arsene bites his lip and looks down.

"I... I didn't recognize him... I thought he was trying to trick me..." Arsene squeezes his eyes shut. "I put him through hell, and he didn't deserve it."

“Arsene…”

“I think because Hunger was in him I-!”

Arsene sits back down, guilt eating him.

“I'm awful… I want to make it up to him but…”

“He will talk to you at his own pace. A lot has happened and he needs some time, okay?”

Arsene mumbles something under his breath. Carmen sits next to him, putting an arm around his shoulders.

~~~~~~~

Loki starts calming himself down again, Milady putting a hand on his arm. A few more tears roll down his face, powerless to stop them, but he starts breathing normally again.

"Okay. I think... I think I can face him again."

"Are you sure?"

"No. But I can't avoid him forever."

He starts to stand up, groaning in pain and sinking back into the couch.

"I can go get him. Do you want me to stay with you two?"

"I don't think it'll be necessary for you to stay, thank you though."

Milady wanders down, taking the empty cups with her. Arsene straightened up, curious, mouth open but not asking.

"Go see him. He wants to talk to you."

Arsene walks up slowly, carefully sitting down across from him. Loki didn't look him in the eye, fidgeting.

"You know... you made a promise all those years ago, that you couldn't keep. And like a fool, I believed you would keep it."

Arsene swallows hard.

"I'm really sorry about what I did. I... caused you a lot of pain."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. It was cruel, and the amount of times I've threatened you is obscene."

"its okay, really."

Arsene splutters, not believing he was really being forgiven.

"I-!"

"Arsene, I have been in love with you for all this time. I knew this would happen. It's okay."

Arsene stares at him, crossing his arms and legs. Loki slowly pulls out the feather, showing him.

"You... you kept that?! After I kept hurting you??" 

"It's for good luck."

Arsene tenses up, guilty, looking away. It was silent for a few moments, Loki hissing as he shifted and pressed against more wounds.

"I'll let you do whatever you want to me, as payback."

"Arsene..."

"I feel awful about what i did to you! Here, I'll even turn around and close my eyes."

Arsene does so. There's a pause. He hears Loki shift closer, tensing up to prepare to get hit. He feels his left wing gently being unfolded, then fingers searching among his feathers.

"Sheesh, thats a big knot. This is probably gonna hurt a little."

Arsene squeaks as he presses against that spot hard, massaging the knot away. He blushes, relaxing as it started feeling good.

"Oh... this... isn't what I thought you'd do."

"I don't wanna hurt you anymore. We've done enough. And I've always loved your wings, they're so soft."

Arsene sighs happily, leaning into his touch. He feels Loki pull his hands away, turning back around.

"Feel better?"

"Better. Thanks."

They fell silent again as Loki returned to the couch, looking anywhere but at each other.

"Hey, Loki. I... I don't believe I got your final request right. May I try again?"

He peeks up at him, seeing a twitch of an oncoming smile.

"You're gonna keep trying until you're satisfied, right?" He teased.

"If you let me." 

Arsene crossed the distance, leaning on his tippy toes to get close to his face. Loki sits up, putting his hooves on the floor, patting his thighs. Arsene took that as an invitation to climb up, settling down on his lap. Arsene takes a moment to run his hands from his cheeks down to his chest. He feels Loki tense as his hands go over his neck, a flash of fear in his eyes. Arsene quickly moves his hands to his chest, feeling his sigh of relief. He could see the hesitance in his actions, deciding to stop.

"However fast you want us to go."

He lets Loki explore at his own pace, noting how gentle he was being, how he quivered underneath him. Loki grabs his wrist, pressing his palm to his face, nuzzling it. Arsene is a bit flustered as he stares for a moment, sliding the hand to his cheek. Loki trails a hand up to his chest, tugging him closer, their lips almost touching.

"Ah, this is a dream, isn't it?" He mumbled, falling back dejected.

Arsene pressed his hand into his cheek, concerned when he heard the ragged edge to his voice.

"I'm gonna wake up and be alone again."

Fear, sadness.

"It's not a dream."

"Of course you would say that."

Sharp, tired.

"How can I convince you?"

Loki's eyes flicker down to his lips.

"I..."

He closes the gap, Loki placing his hands on his waist as they kiss. Arsene breaks away after a few moments, licking his lips and pressing his forehead against his.

"It's not a dream."

Loki cups his face, studying him closely.

"You haven't changed much."

"And you got a lot taller. Rude."

Loki smiled at him. Arsene tries to pull back more, only to not go far. A click informed him what happened.

"Loki, I think we're stuck. My horns are stuck."

Loki snorts as they carefully detangle themselves. Once free, Loki devolved into wheezing laughter as Arsene looked embarrassed. 

"Loki..."

"We just... we gotta be more mindful of our horns."

Arsene buries his face into his neck, hiding his blush and taking him in. He suddenly felt tired, yawning.

“Is it okay if I stay here?” He mumbles, not even moving.

“That would be a question for Milady, wouldn't it?” Loki countered.

“I don't think she'll mind.”

Loki hums, Arsene succumbing to sleep soon after. Milady pads upstairs to check on them, Loki giving her a thumbs up. She nods, leaving them alone for the night. He stays awake, still not utterly convinced he isn't dreaming. Near dawn, he carefully puts Arsene down on the couch, getting up and going outside for some fresh air. A few people out in the early morning saw him and ran away, making him upset. He decided to push it out of his mind, just pacing around the building to keep himself occupied.

~~~~~~~~

In the morning, Arsene finds Loki missing, having been placed on the couch. He sits up, tossing the blanket off of him, looking around.

"Loki? Loki where are you?"

He doesn't find him upstairs, fearing the worst. Arsene rushes downstairs and outside, seeing Loki freeze upon seeing him.

"Is something wrong? I got worried and-"

He stopped as he saw Loki shed a few tears.

"Are you okay?" 

"I got scared you wouldn't remember me again and... and..."

Loki hugs him tightly, Arsene grunting at the force of it.

"I'm here. I won't leave you."

At that, Loki pushes him away.

"How would I know?! You've-!" Loki chokes on the rest of the sentence, hanging his head.

"How can I prove it to you?"

Loki thinks about it, picking at his lip.

"I want to stay by your side as much as possible. If that's okay?"

“Of course. Yes. Whatever makes you happy.”

Loki hugs him again, pressing his face into his hair. Arsene squeaks in surprise, then started rubbing his back after a moment or two.

"I love you. I missed you." Loki mutters into the top of his head.

"I love you too."  


Arsene has to marvel at how physically affectionate Loki is, touching him every chance he got. He was a bit clingy, but he could understand why he would be that way. Arsene wasn't going to complain after seeing how starved for physical affection he was. In fact, he loved it, loved the way Loki would place his legs over him if they were both sitting, loved how often he would grab his hand or nuzzle him, how often he kissed him. Arsene would try to return the affections as much, if not more, as he was given. Of course, it hurt whenever Loki would flinch upon waking up next to him, or be very cautious when he would have to go with The Reaper somewhere and come back, nervous around him until Arsene would greet him gently. He understood the pain he put Loki through. But seeing Loki laying on his legs, nuzzling his face into his stomach, getting Loki to purr as he rubbed his horns, cutting his remaining time in half to give to him was worth it. He vowed to never be annoyed with him, to never hurt him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking one little one shot and a spin off but we will see, but mostly the main canon of this au is done! Thank you for coming along for the wild ride, I put those three through a lot.


End file.
